deville



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

F. DEVILLE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

WIG.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 2,781, dated September 17, 1842.

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, DEVILLE, of the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Manner of Making Vigs, Frizettes, and other Articles Analogous in Character; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

In the making of wigs as now generally practised, a metallic spring-frame is employed for the purpose of causing them to t closely to the head, and to keep them in place. This spring-frame consists principally of two strips of elasticsteel, one of which passes around the back of the head, in a direction nearly horizontal, its two ends bearing upon the temples; t-o the middle of this spring a second strip isattached, crossing the first at right angles, and extending from the nape of the neck to the middle of the forehead, or nearly so; it being so curved as to fit the form of the head. Then this spring-frame is made to bear with suiiicient force upon the temples to cause a wig to fit clo-sely and neatly to the head, its frequent effect is the production of head-ache, a sense of fullness, dizziness, or other affections analogous thereto in character; and many persons have from this cause, been compelled to abandon their use, or to have them made to fit so loosely as to be deficient in neatness, and readily displaced. In my improved wigs I dispense entirely with the ordinary spring-frame, and substitute therefor steel springs which I make` out of wire about the size of that used for common sized pins. These wires are each about six inches long, and they are to be flattened by hammering, and to be bent into a form resembling that of the letter U, and brought to a good spring temper. Four springs of this size and kind I find sufficient to cause a' wig to fit closely to the head.

In forming the wig, the springs are to be so arranged as to cause them to act upon the outer edge of the foundation, or tissue, which constitutes its lining, so as to draw it closely all around its edge without the eXertion of any direct pressure by the springs upon the head itself, their action being entirely lateral.

n In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a representation of one of the springs, drawn to the size of those in actual use. Fig. 2, represents a part of the foundation, or lining, of a wig, showing the manner in which the springs are attached thereto.

Two of them are made to occupy the hollow, or indentation, formed in the foundat-io-n, or lining, on each side of the middle of the forehead, and extending thence toward the temples, as shown at A; and the other two occupy the hollows., or indentations, extending from behind the temples, over the ears, and toward the back part of the head, as at B; these springs are inclosed within the ribbon, o-r other material, which constitutes the binding, in such manner as that by their tension inward they draw the entire edge of the Wig close against the head. From their perfect flexibility, they readily yield, and adapt themselves to every motion, while the gentle but uniform manner in which they embrace the head effectually prevents the wig from being accidentally displaced, even when so made as to expose a high forehead to full view. Each of these springs may be readily allo-wed to have a play of an inch, which would give a play of four inches in the circumference of the head; and any accidental fullness, or swelling, in the head, will, therefore, not effect it in such a manner as to produce any sensible inconvenience to the wearer.

The four U, springs arranged and combined with the foundation, or lining, of a wig, as above described, are used as a complete substitute for the ordinary springframe, but the short pieces of spring which are generally employed to preserve the. proper form of the wig, about its lower portion, are used by me, and are attached in the usual manner, as shown at C, C; and in other respects the whole wig is finished in the ordinary way.

Having thus, fully described the nature of my improvement in the manner of making wigs, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The employment of four, or any other preferred number of springs, formed and operating substantially in the manner herein set forth, and applied to the foundation, or lining, of a. wig, so as to cause the same to `bind around the head, and eifectually to retain it in place, and by which I dispense entirely with the metallic spring-frame which has heretofore been generally employed, the arrangement of such springs being substantially the same with that herein set forth and represented.

F. DEVILLE.

Witnesses:

Trio. SPIGRA, JOHN J. LLOYD. 

